Catheter having exchangeable balloon

Abstract

An intravascular balloon catheter comprises a tubular catheter body having a balloon structure removably mounted over the catheter body. The catheter body has a guidewire lumen , and the catheter body may be left in place within a patient's vasculature while the balloon structure is withdrawn and optionally a second balloon structure introduced over the catheter body. The catheter and methods of the present invention are particularly suitable for performing angioplasty and subsequent procedures, such as stent placement, which are best performed using successive interventional balloon structures.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An intravascular balloon catheter comprising: 
       a tubular catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a guidewire lumen therebetween; and  
       a first balloon structure having a passage which is slidably receivable over the proximal end of the tubular catheter body, wherein the tubular catheter body has an inflation lumen which mates with an inflation port on the balloon structure when the balloon structure is disposed near the distal end of the tubular catheter body.  
     
     
       2. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , wherein the balloon structure comprises an inflation tube extending proximally from the balloon when the balloon is disposed n ear the distal end of the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       3. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 2 , wherein the inflation tube has sufficient column strength to advance the balloon structure over the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       4. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , wherein the balloon structure comprises a deployment shaft extending proximally from the balloon structure when the balloon structure is disposed near the distal end of the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       5. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , wherein the tubular catheter body is substantially free from structure at the proximal end which would interfere with passage of the balloon structure over the proximal end of the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       6. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , further comprising an expandable vascular prosthesis disposed over the first balloon structure. 
     
     
       7. An intravascular balloon catheter system comprising a balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , further comprising a second balloon structure having a passage which is slidably receivable over the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       8. An intravascular balloon catheter system as in  claim 7 , further comprising an expandable vascular prosthesis disposed over the second balloon structure. 
     
     
       9. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , wherein the tubular catheter body is axially slit over at least a portion of the length of the guidewire lumen. 
     
     
       10. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 9 , wherein the axial slit removably receives the guidewire. 
     
     
       11. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , wherein the tubular catheter body has a length in the range from 100 cm to 200 cm, an outer diameter in the range from 1 F to 10 F, and a guidewire lumen diameter in the range from 0.3 mm to 2 mm. 
     
     
       12. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 11 , wherein the balloon structure further comprises an inner sleeve having an inflatable balloon disposed over an outer surface of the inner sleeve, wherein a passage is formed axially in the inner sleeve to removably receive the tubular catheter body. 
     
     
       13. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 12 , wherein the inner sleeve has a length in the range form 3 cm to 50 cm and the inflatable balloon has a length in the range from 1 cm to 5 cm. 
     
     
       14. An intravascular balloon catheter as in  claim 1 , further comprising a hub which is removably attachable to the proximal end of the tubular catheter body.